But over the past few days, while training Pro Bowl receiver and Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald in the Twin Cities, Carter found another explosive receiver: Jaymar Johnson.

“You could tell that he went to a school that didn’t have a sophisticated passing attack,” Carter said of Johnson, a sixth-round draft pick out of Jackson (Miss.) State last year. “But he has phenomenal quickness and speed. Phenomenal. And his hands are better than you would think, from a guy that fast.”

Then Carter offered up a surprising summation of Johnson’s potential.

“He could start for the Vikings,” said Carter, now an ESPN analyst.

Earlier in the offseason, Vikings coach Brad Childress lauded Johnson’s work ethic, a compliment that flattered the young receiver. But he was floored by Carter’s assessment.

Carter also had positive comments about Sidney Rice, who also was invited by Fitzgerald to work out with him.

“He’s a phenomenal athlete, with that size, and his ability to run,” Carter said of Rice.

Carter, though, didn’t hold back in scrutinizing Rice while he was running routes and catching passes.

Working out Thursday at Velocity Sports Performance in Champlin, Carter criticized Rice for catching the ball too close to his body and not breaking out of routes cleanly enough.

After one drop, Carter demanded Rice give him 10 “grown man” pushups, which is flopping down to the artificial turf and lifting himself with his fingertips.

“You might not catch the ball,” Carter said to Rice, “but you’ll be strong.”

Rice, though, appreciated Carter’s input, even if his pride took a hit.

“It’s humbling because he’s in your grill,” Rice said. “But I learned so much. Being around these guys really opened my eyes.”

As training camp approaches, Rice had a breakthrough this week at Velocity Sports. He ran routes Wednesday without a knee brace for the first time in 10 months.

“I didn’t think about my knee at all,” said Rice, who estimated he is about 90 percent healthy.

Fitzgerald also had high praise for Rice after spending a few days training with him.

“I think he has all the ability in the world. There’s no reason Sidney shouldn’t be a big-time starter or a No. 1 in the NFL,” Fitzgerald said.

In fact, Fitzgerald said Rice, who, at 6 feet 4, is also a tall receiver, is a better overall athlete.

“This dude is so much more athletic than me,” Fitzgerald said, noting that they had played basketball together. “He jumps out of the gym. (He can) shoot. He can do everything, athletically. It’s just the technical things he needs to work on.”

Fitzgerald has worked closely with Carter and Bill Welle, executive performance coach at Velocity, for years. But Fitzgerald wanted to invite other receivers and top players to join him in workouts at Velocity and the University of Minnesota. Fitzgerald was grateful to Gophers football coach Tim Brewster for allowing his group to use his facilities, and he is thankful that Jerry Rice and Carter accepted his invitation to work with his friends.

“We’ll have a good time, and we want to get better,” Fitzgerald said when asked if he will do this next offseason. “That’s all we want.”

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